D.C. United will be looking for back to back wins while Orlando City SC will be looking to protect their home turf.
Orlando City SC will host fellow Eastern Conference rival D.C United Friday night at the Citrus Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:oopm EST. United currently sits second in the conference with six points while Orlando sits in fourth place with four points on the young season.
D.C. United will still be without the services of Fabian Espíndola as he is still serving a six match ban he received at the end of last year’s playoffs. He will be available to return on April 25th. Eddie Johnson, United’s highest paid player, is still out due to a heart condition and it is not known when he will be available to return. Even if he was given the green light, it will still be weeks before he will be ready to play as his conditioning level is nowhere near where it needs to be.
The Lions have their own fair share of injury issues as well with Cristian Higuita, Carlos Rivas, Lewis Neal and Tony Cascio did not play last week. Kaka, Orlando’s first Designated Player, did not practice on Wednesday due to a calf injury.
D.C. United needed a goal late in stoppage time this past weekend to beat the defending MLS Cup Champions, Los Angeles Galaxy which is something that they have not accomplished in seven years. Orlando played a thrilling game against the Montreal Impact that ended in a 2-2 tie with Kaka netting the tying goal.
This will be yet another nationally televised game for Orlando City to showcase their talents to the rest of the league and fans. The Citrus Bowl is a good home field advantage for the Lions and they will be looking to protect their turf. United will once again look to find a way to win without two of their top players playing in the match. This match should be a hard fought between the two teams. United will need to keep an eye on Kaka at all times as he is one of the most dangerous players on the field when he has the ball. United must also be careful not to concede fouls close to the box as Kaka is extremely dangerous with his free kicks.
If United can put pressure on Orlando City’s defense and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, they will have a good chance at pulling out a win on the road and breaking the hearts of Orlando’s fan base. This one will end in a 1-1 tie with Kaka, yet again, scoring the tying goal.
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